Congrats to my PhD student Amy Coplen on a fantastic panel she organized here at PSU a few weeks ago. "Working for Food Justice: What does farm-to-table really mean?" brought together over 60 food workers, labor organizers, and members of the PSU community to discuss how we can advocate for food workers. Panelists included representatives of Piñeros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), Adelante Mujeres, the IWW, and UNITE HERE.

Amy writes:"Many of those who work to put food on our plates cannot afford to feed themselves. Food labor— including cultivating, harvesting, sorting, packaging, processing, transporting, marketing, retailing, preparing, and serving food—constitutes over half of all human labor. Yet, this work remains largely invisible to consumers. The city of Portland is rapidly gaining status as the foodie capital of the world. Local restaurants are praised for their dedication to local and organic sourcing, but little attention is paid to the work that goes into preparing these meals. In “farm-to-table” restaurants, food somehow magically and gracefully makes its way from the field to your plate. The term “farm-to-table” itself erases from the diners consciousness, all of the hands and bodies and minds that work so hard to feed us. More broadly, the alternative food movement is so focused on environmental sustainability and the health of those consuming food that the wellbeing of those who work in the food system is largely ignored."Congratulations to Amy on this fantastic effort. Read more about the event and panel participants here.